


first meeting

by muddyrockxo



Series: This Little Girl - Deleted Scenes [2]
Category: Strictly Come Dancing RPF
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Bread, Everyone Is Gay, First Meetings, Home, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Love, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Pasta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:27:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23740783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muddyrockxo/pseuds/muddyrockxo
Summary: Jonathan and Craig meet Jess for the first time.A request from my friend xTabithaNala, who is a pretty amazing writer!
Relationships: Craig Revel Horwood/Undisclosed
Series: This Little Girl - Deleted Scenes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630606
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	first meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xTabithaNala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTabithaNala/gifts).



> Note : I am not 100% sure how the adoption process works. If there are any inaccuracies, feel free to let me know - constructively. 
> 
> There will be a part 2 to this, but when it will be, I cannot confirm.

"Craigy, calm down," Jonathan laughed, as he noticed that for about the twelfth time this car journey, Craig had started tapping his foot again. "It's going to be fine, okay? Everything is going to work out perfectly." 

"But what if she doesn't like us? What if I make a mistake and upset her?" Craig rambled on, continuing to tap his foot. "What if we lose her or she gets hurt or something terrible happens?" 

"Craigy, this is why we have these meetings. Simple, safe, and they allow us to get to know each other. I promise you, everything will be just fine!" 

"And what if she doesn't like the food where we're going? She might-" 

"Okay, now you're being silly, Craig. Her favourite meal is literally pasta and garlic bread, and where are we going tonight? None other than an Italian restaurant!" Jonathan rolled his eyes before shopping the car and pulling Craig in for a big hug. "Craigy, stop stressing. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

A few months ago, whilst soaking up the sun on the famous Bondi beach, Jonathan had first mentioned the possibility of the couple adopting a child. 

Adoption had been something he had been interested in since he was a young man just going out into the big wide world and when he had rather timidly suggested it to Craig, the Australian had immediately agreed with him, though he wanted to take it slow to make sure that it was done properly. 

After weeks upon weeks of interviews, meetings and rigorous home and background checks, the two men were given the green light to adopt, one of the happiest moments in their lives. And today, they were meeting their potential adoptive child. 

Jessica Berry was her name, a seven year old girl who had spent practically her whole life in the care system after her parents were killed in a car accident by a driver who was never identified. Craig and Jonathan had been told her story by her social worker, Patricia Spencer, and when they were asked if they wanted to take her out, they immediately said yes. And tonight was the night of their first meeting. 

Both of them were nervous of course, but Craig more obviously so. He had been stressing for days on end, worried about every last little detail, but Jonathan knew that it was only because he wanted it to work out that much. Craig had a tendency to stress over all the little things, especially when it was regarding something important to him, such as this. 

Parking the car outside Sunnyside Children's Home, Craig and Jonathan took a moment together to give each other a little pep talk, before entering. 

"We can do this, okay?" Jonathan told his boyfriend, taking hold of Craig's hands and looking deep into his eyes. "We've got this." 

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Craig nodded. 

"Okay. I'm ready." 

Getting out of the car, the couple walked hand in hand up to the front door, full of anticipation. Jonathan was the one to knock, Craig too nervous to do so, and a few seconds later the door was opened by Patricia herself - a very smiley lady in her early forties with dark bobbed hair and twinkly dark eyes. 

"Hello there!" she greeted them with her usual cheery tone. "Do you want to wait here? It's a bit chaotic in here- I'll go and get Jess for you." 

Jonathan and Craig nodded and waited as Patricia disappeared back into the house. A few moments later, she came back with a small, slight girl of about seven, with long brown hair tied in plaits and a very nervous look on her face. 

Jessica. 

"Craig, Jonathan, this is Jessica, or as most people call her, Jess," Patricia introduced them. "Jess, these men here are Craig and Jonathan." 

"Hello," Jess said in a quiet voice, looking down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact. Eye contact, especially with her seniors, had always intimidated her. 

"She can be very shy at first," Patricia explained, "but she soon opens up when she gets to know you." 

"Hi, Jessica, I'm Jonathan," Jonathan got down to the little girl's level, and pulled her in for a hug after gaining her consent. "It's lovely to meet you." 

"We'll bring her straight back after dinner," Craig promised, before hugging the little girl himself. "See you later." 

"See you later! Have a great time, Jess!" Patricia called, before retreating back into the house once again to deal with some petty kid's argument going on inside. 

.. 

Jess didn't talk much on the way to the restaurant, sitting in the backseat twisting her hands and looking down at her shoes. Jonathan and Craig kept looking back to make sure she was okay, trying to make conversation with her every now and again. 

Jess tried to make conversation back, but was too shy to say much. She knew that she had to make an impression on these people, so that they would actually want to adopt her - that's what Lilliana at the children's home said before she came out, anyway. And Lilliana should know, seeing as next week, she was due to head to her new home with her adoptive parents. 

But she just couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound stupid. 

"So, Jess, a little bird told us that you like pasta and garlic bread," Jonathan turned round in his seat to face her. 

Jess nodded eagerly, before lifting her head up, smiling. "It's my favourite!" 

"Well then, it's a good job we're taking you to an Italian restaurant, isn't it?" Jonathan laughed, gesturing at the restaurant they had just pulled up outside of. 

"Thank you!" Jess beamed, and Jonathan and Craig thought that her smile really was the prettiest thing about her. 

"You're more than welcome, darling," Craig replied, as he got out the car, running round the other side to help Jess out as well. "Come on then, let's go and eat!" 

Heading inside, the three of them were immediately escorted to a quiet table out back. Craig had specifically requested this when they made their reservation, not wanting to be recognised by fans. He knew that, if they went ahead with the adoption that would be something Jess would have to get used to, but this was literally their first meeting. He didn't want her to get overwhelmed or upset this early on. 

After ordering their food and drinks, they were left to their own devices. 

A waitress handed Jess a picture of a cat to colour in, and some wax crayons. As Jess coloured in the cat's head with a dark brown crayon, Jonathan leaned in closer and whispered, "so, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" 

"Oh... okay," Jess nodded, putting down her crayons and trying to make eye contact. "Well.. my name is Jess. I'm seven years old." 

"What do you like doing?" Craig prompted her, hoping it would get her to open up. 

"Well, I quite like drawing, although I'm not much good at it," Jess answered, shyly. "I also really like dancing, and I quite like singing too. I'm not much good at either of those either, though." 

"Aww, I bet you are! Literally all our family are dancers." 

"Do you have any other children?" Jess questioned. 

"Nope. But Jonathan and I live with our friends - Bruno, Shirley and Darcey. Bruno's an Italian dancer, and he would be so happy that you like pasta so much! Shirley and Darcey are also dancers, although not the same type. Darcey danced ballet when she was younger, whereas Shirley danced Latin." 

"How can someone dance a language?" 

Craig snorted with laughter, as did Jonathan, and Jess wondered what she had said that was quite so funny. 

"No, no, darling... Latin dancing. It's a type of dancing. Bruno was a dancer in music videos and he also choreographed... that means he created dances for other people. And I also choreograph, and I was a dancer - though mainly in musical theatre." 

"And are you a dancer too?" Jess turned to Jonathan. 

"Me? Good heavens, no. Craig here tells me I have two left feet!" Jonathan laughed. "I'm a gardener. Ever heard of Kew Gardens?" 

Jess shook her head, just as the food arrived. She beamed happily as her plate of pasta was placed in front of her, breathing in the gorgeous smell. 

"You've never heard of Kew Gardens? Oh my goodness. Craigy, we are taking her there some day!" 

"Jonno! Darling, we don't even know if she'll want to come out with us again," Craig hissed, beginning to twirl spaghetti round his fork. 

"True. So anyways, Jess, what's your favourite school subject? Do you like school?" 

"Yes," Jess nodded, starting to sound a bit more confident. "My favourite subject is English - I like writing stories. I don't like maths or science though." 

"Jonathan's two specialist subjects," Craig laughed, nudging Jonathan in the ribs. 

"So you're the opposite of me, then. I literally studied science and maths at advanced level!" 

"Wow! I don't think I could ever do that," Jess replied in astonishment. "But yes, I quite.. I quite like school actually. There's only one time that I feel a bit sad." 

"When's that?" Jonathan asked, wondering what she was about to say. 

"When we make Mother's Day or Father's Day cards, or draw family trees, and I can't make them. Because I don't have a mum or dad, not anymore," Jess said, looking sad. 

Jonathan and Craig exchanged glances, their hearts simultaneously breaking for the little girl in front of them. Jess seemed to sense this, because she immediately apologised, realising just how desperate she must have sounded just then. They might not even want to adopt her, anyway, and she'd just made them feel sorry for her. 

"Sorry." She bowed her head in shame. 

"Don't apologise, darling," Craig replied immediately, patting her hand. What he really wanted to do was reach over and hug her tight, but he didn't want to overstep the mark. "Don't apologise. Well maybe one day, you'll have someone to write Father's Day cards to." 

Jess looked up, hardly daring to believe that that was what he was insinuating. 

"I'm not saying we'll definitely adopt you!" Craig laughed at her shocked face, "but it's definitely something we'll be talking to Patricia about in more detail after today." 

Jess beamed, a look of happiness replacing her look of shame, and Craig and Jonathan exchanged glances once again, communicating with each other silently. 

There were no two ways about it. They had to be the ones that adopted Jess. 

Knowing that she might finally have a chance of being adopted at long last, Jess didn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening. Even when she had to say goodbye to Jonathan and Craig, she couldn't stay sad for too long. 

And even late that night, when she was curled up sleeping in her bed with her arms wrapped round her favourite teddy bear, she was still smiling. 

Nothing could wipe that smile off her face.


End file.
